Unexpected Turn
by Maia.Dark.Eco.Sage
Summary: Bella has been abused by her father since her mom died when she was 9. When she moves to Forks, she is the new girl with no friends and huge crush on popular Edward. An incident between the 2 of them leaves her heartbroken and vulnerable. What will happen
1. Introduction

I looked at myself in the mirror. Ugh. More bruises. This time is was my left eye and extending down so that it covered about a quarter of my face. With a sigh, I pulled out my make-up bag and started applying the concealer. It was a life-saver sometimes. And I mean that literally. If I couldn't cover up the bruises, people would find out and I would be dead; my father would kill me to be more exact.

My mom died when I was 9, and my dad never really got over it. He blamed me and started beating me telling me it was my entire fault that my mother had died. He started drinking too, and that just made his beatings so much worse. We had lived in Phoenix up until the summer after my eighth grade year when we moved to Forks, Washington. I had gone to high school since freshman year, and I have never fit in; never. I was always the quiet, shy girl who got good grades but wasn't sporty and didn't have any friends. I was kind of and object of interest at the beginning, simply because I was new and the population was so small. Though the awareness of me quickly faded when people realized how withdrawn I was.

But just because they no longer noticed me, it didn't mean I didn't notice them. I was incredibly introverted, but I was aware of people around me; one person in particular.

Edward Cullen.

Ever since I had first laid eyes on him I had the biggest crush on him. I never approached him; I didn't dare do that. I was to shy for that, and I was so afraid that he didn't like me that I couldn't chance it. I already had Charlie to deal with and that was hard enough. I didn't need someone to add to that pain. Besides, I don't think he even knew I existed. Edward was the picture of perfection, and I was just…me.

He was the star of the football team; I was a klutz. He had a 4.0, I worked to maintain my B average. And of course, to top it all off, he was so hansom I could swear he was descendant from Greek gods. I was just the brown haired, brow-eyed, pale faced girl that blended in with the walls. He was popular, I was not, and our words didn't touch. Not to mention the difference between our families. My mom had died when I was young, my father was abusive (though I didn't tell anyone that) and I was an only child.

Edward had both of his parents; his father was the incredibly good looking doctor that worked at the local hospital, and his mother was an interior designer. He had two siblings; his sister Alice, who was in the same grade and Edward and I, and his adopted brother Emmett, who was a year older than us. So clearly, we weren't meant to be. But that didn't stop me from dreaming; hopeless fantasies that could never exist outside my imagination. I was now a junior and nothing had changed, but I was completely unaware of the events looming so close on the horizon; event that would eventually change my painful, dreary life forever.

**My first story! Review Please! :-D This is just kind of a set up to the story from Bella's POV. I hope you like it and I promise I'll bring in the rest of the characters later. (i.e. the Hale twins :-D) And don't worry, the "incident" I mentioned in the summary is to come, I promise :-D Review, Review, Review! Thanx!**


	2. Pain, Miracle, and Dilema

**Sorry it took me so long to update. Christmas time is crazy for writing. This chapter is really starting the story. The last one was kind of an introduction, so I hope you like it :-D**

I got up and examined myself in the mirror. Charlie had let out his anger on me again last night, and I had to survey the damage. I had a black eye and some minor cuts on my face. My body was another story. My back hurt terribly, I was sure my ankle was sprained, and I had bruises covering just about every inch of my body up to my neck. It wasn't as bad as usual, but coupled with the previous injuries that hadn't healed yet, I wasn't in the best condition.

With a resigned sigh, I put on a pair of jeans and an ever faithful turtle neck sweater. They come in handy when you're hiding bruises. Next came the make up. I wasn't one of those girls who used make up to make myself look like some airbrushed supermodel, **(hehe, I had to throw that in there)** but rather to hide the cuts and bruises that covered my face.

Once I had finished, I hid the make up and picked up my backpack off of the floor and hoisted it onto my back. Ouch, today would be very painful. I listened carefully before coming out of my room. I could hear Charlie snoring in the room across from mine, so I knew the coast was clear. Not wanting to push my luck though, I left the house quickly and started my inevitable walk to school. It took me a good 25 minutes usually, but with the added bonus of a sprained ankle, it took 35 minutes.

I walked into my first period Trigonometry class. I was an average student, so Trig wasn't an unusual course for a junior. But there were quite a few freshmen in my class so that did kind of make me feel dumb. It was the start of the second semester so we didn't have to worry about finals for a while. That was a relief. I had enough to deal with. When the bell rang, I walked quickly, as quickly as I could, to my locker to get my books for my next class. Biting my lip to try to fight the pain that kept trying to make itself known, I was unaware that someone had walked up to me and was leaning against the locker next to mine.

"Hello." A musical voice interrupted my painful thoughts. I looked up, startled, and was suddenly rendered speechless as I saw who was there.

Edward Cullen.

I stood there dumbly as I tried to form a response but none came to mind.

"You're Bella, right?" He asked me, after a few moments if awkward silence. My mind was racing. I couldn't clear my head enough to speak yet, so I just nodded. He cracked a smile that accelerated my heart rate to a dangerous speed.

"Are you doing anything Friday night? I wanted to see if you would go out with me." My eyes widened and I shifted my weight unconsciously to my other foot, and then winced as I realized it was hurt. But the pain helped to clear my head and I somehow managed speech.

"U-uh, y-yeah, F-Friday. I-I'm not doing anything." I managed to stutter. He smiled beautifully and my knee's started to shake.

"Great! I'll pick you up at 5." He told me. Then he turned and swept back down the hallway, meeting up with his friends with a huge smile on his face. They continued on down the hallway until they rounded the corner and were out of my sight. I was so dazed that I didn't realize that I was at school until the bell rang telling me I was late. I ran to my second period English class, ignoring the pain as best I could, and blushed scarlet when everyone turned to stare. I went quickly to the back of the classroom and tried to asses what had just happened to me. I was pretty sure that Edward Cullen had come up to my locker and talked to me. He asked me if I was doing anything Friday…

"Miss Swan?" I looked up as the teacher called my name.

"Yes?" I asked, unaware that he was actually looking for the answer to a question.

"Do you know the answer?"

"The answer to what?" I asked dumbly. Everybody in the classroom snickered and my cheeks darkened a shade.

"I'll take that as a no. Please pay more attention to the class rather than daydreaming." He scolded me and I just blushed deeper. He turned and asked Mike the answer to whatever question he had just asked me. Mike didn't know the answer either. Figures, he's a senior in a junior level English class, there's a reason for that. He's also the running back for the varsity football team. Last time I checked football players aren't the smartest people ever. Except for one football player…

I let my thoughts drift back to Edward. I thought about him for the rest of the period, and when the bell rang, I had come to a conclusion.

Edward had asked me, Bella, out on a date Friday night, and I had said yes, but there was one tiny little problem…Charlie. My abusive father that never let me do anything but go to school, do chores and let him beat me up. He would never let me go out on a date. He didn't let me go out anywhere. So as I came to my conclusion, I was also faced with a problem. What do I do?

**Cliffhanger!!! What do you think? I hope you liked it. :-D Review and tell me your thoughts. Criticism and compliments are always accepted. :-D (just don't be too mean, please.) **


	3. AUTHOR'S NOTE

**Author's Note**

**I'm soooooooooooooooooo sorry about not updating. I went out of town over Christmas break and I didn't have access to a computer. T_T Then I get back and I have to study for finals in like a week, so it's hasn't been the best time for writing. But I'm really going to try to update for all of you. **

**Also (IMPORTANT) I was reading through the last chapter, and there were a few things that were bothering me, so I went back and made a few minor changes. Nothing to serious. **

**So, I didn't disappear off the face of the earth and I'm working on the next chapter now, so it should be up really soon. Thank you to all of you who review, I really appreciate it and I can't wait to see what you think of the rest of the story.**

**As always,**

**.**


	4. Putting the Plan Into Action

**New chapter!!! Not an author's note! (I hate those things, sorry guys) For those of you who have been dying for a new chapter, here it is! I had a request to do it in EPOV so that's what I did! I'll be doing that throughout the story so I just thought I'd warn you.**

"Dude, this is going to be so funny!" Mike, Emmett, Jasper and I laughed.

"I know. We've done things like this before, but this is so perfectly planned out." I complimented the gang- who jeered mischievously. I looked down the hall to my target: Isabella Swan. Mike had dared me to ask her out and then dump her big time. We planned it out perfectly. She would be humiliated and we would be left rolling on the floor with laughter. I couldn't care less about Isabella Swan, so I had no objection to our plans.

"Good luck man." Jasper told me. I grinned back, making the others start laughing again. I looked at Bella again and noticed that like every other day; she looked like she was in pain. I had noticed this a long time ago, but since she had that look on her face all the time, so I figured it was normal and moved on.

With a cocky smile, I walked toward her and leaned against the locker next to hers. She was biting down on her lip particularly hard and didn't notice when I walked up.

"Hello." I said, in my nicest, yet most alluring voice. No girl had been able to resist it and I didn't think Isabella Swan would be an exception. She looked up at me startled and my green eyes locked onto her brown ones; brown…what a boring color. She was speechless (I knew the face of speechless girls very well), so I spoke instead.

"You're Bella right?" I knew this already, bit I had to at least try to make it seem like I was interested. It took her a moment but she nodded silently. I smirked. This would be fun. "Are you doing anything Friday night?" I smiled at the effect I was having on her. So I went further.

"I wanted to see if you would go out with me." I watched her face change into an expression of pure surprise and awe. She shifted her weight nervously and I saw a look of pure pain flash across her face. She hid it quickly and cleared her expression as best as she could, but it was still evident there.

What was that about? I dismissed it as nothing, not bothering to let it trouble me.

"U-uh, y-yeah, F-Friday. I-I'm not doing anything." She stammered. I had to hide my laugh at her uneasiness.

"Great! I'll pick you up at 5." I told her, and saw her face slip back into one of wonder. I quickly turned around and loped quickly back to my friends. When I reached them I could no longer contain my laughter. We all burst out laughing and rushed away down the hallway. I hoped Bella hadn't noticed; it might ruin our plans if she guessed too much. When we were out of sight and earshot we all doubled over with laughter.

"That was so funny! She was so uncomfortable! Edward you're a genius!" Emmett said between guffaws before clapping me on the back. Mike and Jasper nodded their approval while clutching stitches in their sides.

"Jasper!"

"Emmett!"

We all looked up to see Alice and Rosalie running toward us. Alice was the most energetic, fashion obsessed, spiky haired pixie I have ever seen in my life, and I had to envy Emmett for having Rosalie. I would never love her as anything more than a sister, but man was she _hot_!

Alice was my sister and Rosalie was Jasper's twin. Emmett and Rosalie had been going out for quite a while, and Alice and Jasper even longer than that. I was amazed at how two people could stay together that long. I loved messing around with girls and couldn't stand to be with a single girl for any length of time.

Jasper and Emmett kissed their girlfriends while Mike and I stood awkwardly off to the side.

"Dude," I pointed my words at Jasper. "Do you have to do that in front of me?" I asked him faking exasperation. "She's my sister for crying out loud!" He laughed and reluctantly let go of Alice. I wasn't even going to try with Rose and Emmett. They were locked together and it wasn't likely that that was going to change anytime soon. I just rolled my eyes.

"Let's go." Jasper suggested to all of us and happily, we agreed leaving Rose and Emmett to their _business_. Mike, Jasper and I were very careful that we didn't give anything away to Rose and Alice. They didn't like Bella any more than we did (she was a social outcast with no friends) but they were a little bit more compassionate than we were so they probably wouldn't agree with our plans. And, Rose and Alice could get Emmett and Jasper to do anything and that might include ruining our plans.

So they wouldn't find out until it was too late. Having a great time, we headed off to class, carefree. The humiliation I was going to put Bella didn't damage my conscience in the least. It just made me think of the laughter we were going to enjoy at her expense and it made me smile even bigger.

**So what do you think??? Review please!!!!! (The more you review the sooner the new chapter comes up) I love to hear your guys' thoughts. BTW, sorry for making Edward and everybody such jerks, but it's part of the story. Don't worry too much about it though. :-D As I promised I introduced Alice and Rose and you'll get to see more of them throughout the story. I will try to update more often so all my faithful readers and reviewers (hint, hint) can be satisfied. :-D **


	5. Dinner andSurprise?

**New chapter!!! In BPOV**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of the characters, they all belong to Stephenie Meyer (the genius that she is) Enjoy!**

The rest of the week passed rather quickly. Edward was the most incredible guy I could imagine. He walked me to all my classes, and invited me to sit with him and his friends at lunch. That was always the most awkward time; lunch. It turned out that sitting with Edward and his friends was really him and Mike. Emmett and Rosalie, and Jasper and Alice were usually so absorbed with each other that they didn't take much notice to us.

Much to my surprise, Charlie's beatings had lessened a little. I started to think that maybe things were going to get better. I hid the hope that I felt, but I still felt it. By the time Friday came, the bruises on my neck had disappeared enough that I didn't have to wear a turtle neck. I had some new ones on my arms and my stomach, but those were easily hidden.

Friday night, I swapped out my usual turtle neck for a nice, deep blue v neck. It didn't plunge at all, but was still nice. I put it over a pair of dark jeans and my only nice pair of shoes- black ballet flats. When I did my make-up, I added a bit more to my eyes and some lip gloss to top it off. This was a date after all. When I was ready, it was around 4:30, so Edward would be here in about half an hour. The thought made my heart flutter.

I went downstairs and set everything up for my dad. He wouldn't be home until 6, and I would be out with Edward. I hadn't said anything to him about it, and had behaved my best this whole week. (Maybe that's why my bruises were receding a little.) But I had a plan. It was far from foolproof, but it was the best one I could come up with.

I set out Charlie's dinner, with a beer, and the television remote next to his plate. Then, I left a note by it.

_Dad,_

_I have to go over to a classmate's house to work on a project. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, it was a last minute assignment. Dinner is in the oven, ready to eat. I'll be home by eight-thirty tonight. _

_Love you,_

_Bella_

Once everything was set up, I sat down on the steps, just out of sight from the door, and waited for Edward. Ten minutes after 5, the doorbell rang. I got up to answer it and winced from the pain. My ankle hadn't fully healed yet and it still hurt. I gave myself a moment to clear my expression and went to get the door.

Edward stood there, holding an umbrella, and looking more like a Greek god than anyone had the right to. **(I stole that line from Twilight, it was too good to pass up :-D) **He was wearing perfectly fitted denim jeans and a grey long sleeved collared shirt with an Abercrombie v neck sweater over it. He took my breath away.

"Hi." I breathed, and I wasn't even sure he heard it. Apparently he did, because he chuckled and said hello back.

"Ready to go?" He asked holding out his hand. I nodded and took it. It felt amazing to have my hand in his. My cheeks reddened a shade darker, and my heartbeat sped up. He held open the passenger door to his silver Volvo for me to get in. After closing it behind me, he stepped around to the drivers side, started the car and we were off.

"Where are we going?" I asked quietly as we left the boundaries of Forks.

"A restaurant in Port Angeles." He looked over at me and smiled. "It's a very nice place; I think you'll like it." He told me. If possible, my heart went even faster and I had to look away from his mesmerizing eyes before I did something I would really regret.

"Okay." I said quietly and this time he didn't hear me, so I just nodded, not trusting my voice. He turned back to face the road again and before I knew it we were in Port Angeles. Last I checked, it took over an hour to get to Port Angeles, it took us just under 45 minutes. I guess I wasn't really paying attention to our speed.

We pulled up to a restaurant called La Bella Italia and I blushed deeper at the name. La _Bella_ Italia. Edward parked and came over to open my door. He took my hand immediately and we walked into the restaurant. Edward walked smoothly up to the hostess- who was older and easily much prettier than me- and requested a table for two. She gave me a wistful glance and smirked as she led us to a both in the loudest portion of the place. I didn't object, all I cared about was that I was on a date with Edward Cullen.

"My name is Anna, I'll be your hostess tonight." She sent a sly wink to Edward, and I caught a subtle double meaning to her words. Edward gave her a polite smile, and she walked away saying "I'll send out your waitress."

Once she had left he looked over at me and my breath caught. _God he was gorgeous. _I blinked a few times and looked away before I suffocated. I heard him laugh a little before another girl came up to our table; our waitress.

"Hi, my name is Amber, and I'll be your waitress tonight. Is there anything I can get you?" She said to Edward. Again with the double meanings, am I the only one picking up on these?

"I'll have a coke." Edward replied before looking at me. "Bella?" I smiled a little before asking for water. The waitress nodded, looked at Edward one last time and went to get our drinks. I watched her go with a hint of jealousy. She was very pretty, and had definite curves, maybe a little heavy on the make-up, but defiantly good-looking. She flirted with Edward every chance she got throughout the evening; taking our orders, bringing us our food, making sure everything was okay. I was getting fed up with it by the time she brought us the check. Every time she did I could feel my insecurities fighting their way forward.

"Here's your check. I hope you enjoyed your dinner." Amber put a bill on the table, and I reached for my wallet.

"No way, Bella." Edward scolded me with a smirk on his angelic face. "I'm paying."

"At least let me pay for half." I pleaded.

"Not a chance." He replied before putting the check in and standing up. I sighed and followed suit. As we were leaving the hostess spoke.

"I hope you enjoy your mean come visit us again soon." She said this directly to Edward and ignored me completely. He just smiled at her as we left. Once, we got to the car, I noticed it was almost eight. We would have to hurry if we were going to get back by 8:30. I just hoped that everything I left for Charlie would be enough to dull the beating I was most likely going to get tonight.

But it would be worth it. I had gotten to go out on a date with Edward- which was probably the best thing that's happened to me since my mom died- and as an added bonus, I got a full stomach of food. I don't think I've eaten that much food at once in years. Edward and I continued the small talk we had been going about all evening. It was a first date so I wasn't expecting to be told anything major, but the small talk was starting to get to me. I glanced at the clock again and noticed it was 8:20. I was cutting it very close. I looked up to see where we were- and hopefully find out how long it would be until I got home- and was shocked to see where we were parked.

We had pulled up to what I would assume was Edward's house, since there were brass letters above the door with the address, and above it, it read: _The Cullen Family__. _But what shocked me the most was that there was a party going on in full swing, with what appeared to be everyone from our class.

I didn't know what to do, and when I turned to Edward, he was getting out of the car with a huge smile on his face.

_What's going on?!_

**Hi guys! Did you see that coming? Review, review, review! As usual, the more reviews I get the sooner the next chapter is up! :-D Thank you to all of you who read this story, and even more to those of you who actually review the chapters, it means a lot to me! :-D **


	6. Take Me Home!

**Okay people! New chapter!!! I honestly don't know how long it has been since I wrote fanfics, I have been so busy it's not even funny. I've been so stressed lately, and I needed a break. So I started writing again. I don't have much time to, but any spare moment I have gotten has been writing (or if not writing, thinking about what I'm going to write) I had been thinking about this story a lot, and I wasn't happy with my original idea, but I thought of a great way to make it work, so I hope you like this chapter, and the next one is well on it's way :D**

I jumped out of the car as soon as everything came flooding back to my mind and ran after Edward. I managed to stop him before he got to the house and then I started panicking out loud.

"Edward! What are we doing at a party?" I yelled quietly, whispering in such a panicked tone I could see his expression falter slightly.

"Well, I thought it would be fun for a date!" He grinned from ear to ear, exhilarated but almost hiding something, like he was in on a joke that I was missing.

"I really can't be here." I told him, for once not lost for words. This was one situation I knew I wouldn't get out of alive if Charlie found out. "You have no idea what would happen…" I said without thinking, and blushed deeply, looking down immediately to try to cover my mistake. But he seemed not to have noticed. The party was loud and raging, and he was eager to join the fun.

"Oh come on, what's one party? What's the worst that could happen?" He was joking with me, completely oblivious to what he was actually talking about. My heart rate sped up dramatically at the thought of him finding out and my panic increased tenfold.

"Edward! I'm serious; I need you to take me home right now!" I looked down at my watch and I could feel myself start to hyperventilate. His expression was confused at this point and I took that as a good sign. I started back toward his car when I felt his hand close around my arm. I winced in pain and jerked away, cradling my arm out of reflex. I had fallen on it last night after Charlie had hit me, and had a bruise there about the size of an IHOP pancake. **(hehe :P)**

Edward's expression was past confused now, and he looked angry. "What's wrong with you?! Any girl at this school would kill to be at a party with me and here you want me to take you home?!" I was now cringing away from him; his anger scared me and I really didn't want more people angry at me. My speaking abilities seemed to have left me for the moment and I didn't know what to say so I just stood there, holding my arm, nodding.

He threw his hands up and walked into the house. "Do what you want Bella!" I heard people whoop as he walked in and the party went on, despite me standing out front, dumbfounded and completely panicked. I looked around quickly and found no other option but to walk home…and fast. I glanced back at the party and with a painful sigh, I started down the driveway as quickly as I could, and that wasn't very fast. I knew tonight would be exceptionally painful, and I didn't know how it would end. The possibilities that flashed through my mind terrified me, and when I finally made it home, nearly 2 hours later, those nightmares became a reality.

**Bum Bum Bum!!! What will happen? I probably left more a cliffy here than last time…sorry :D I know it was kind of short but I'm almost done with the next chapter (which is pretty long) I wanted to make sure I was almost done with it before I posted this. **


	7. Shouldn't Have Told Them EPOV

**New, fairly long chapter! LOL I wrote this all today, and I am very proud of it. I put in a few chapters ago that they weren't gonna tell Alice and Rosalie because they'd be sorry, well now they are :D Enjoy!**

The party last night was incredible! The guys and I were really disappointed that we couldn't pull the prank we were planning, but it turned out fun anyway. I headed off to my first period in high spirits, the high from last night still running. I didn't see Bella at all that morning, she was probably trying to avoid me, but she wouldn't be able to in Biology. But that also meant that I wouldn't be able to avoid her. I was surprised at her last night. Who knew that quiet little Bella could get that angry? She looked scared too... probably from the thought of getting in a little bit of trouble. She never did anything wrong, so that must have been it. I couldn't shake that nagging feeling that it was something more, but I put it from my mind as best I could.

Once I was around Emmett and Jasper again (the three of us were closer to each other than Mike. He was a good friend, but he didn't really fit. He was a bit more volatile than us, and that is saying something) I was able to get her off my mind. Reminders of the great time we had last night kept my mind occupied and I felt great until lunch. I sat with my friends as usual, Alice sat with Jasper, and Rose sat with Emmett, as usual. Mike was over hanging out with some girls, and for once I felt like the odd man out.

I kept looking up at the door discreetly waiting for Bella to come, dying to see her for some reason. That confused me as well but I told myself I just wanted to see her reaction when she see's me. Apparently Emmett and Jasper were thinking the same thing because I saw them look toward the door frequently, too. But she never came... The doors opened and closed dozens of times, but none bearing the girl I was suddenly anxious to see. Maybe she had to go to the library or something. She must have had some homework to do, that must be it. Or she is eating with a teacher talking about her grades. I felt my nose go up in the air at the thought.

She was probably blabbing about me to a councilor or to a teacher. That sounds like something she would do. Perfect little miss Bella. She always sat by herself at lunch, so maybe the teachers took pity on her. Even as I thought this, I knew it wasn't true. Bella wasn't arrogant, she was shy. I knew this, but my angry thoughts to her helped dispel the guilt that kept building up over what happened last night. I couldn't shake it off, and I was confused over that.

"Edward, are you looking for Bella?" I was shaken from my thoughts by Alice's soprano, pixie voice. Curse her for being so perceptive, I swear she's some sort of psychic.

"Oh, no.." I said, looking down at my empty plate.

"Well, how did your date go yesterday? Bella seems like a nice girl, about time you went out with one." I heard her mutter that last part under her breath but ignored her.

"Oh it was fine, she didn't want to go to the party, so that kind of spoiled it." I waved my hand indifferently. She opened her hand to respond but the bell rang signaling the end of lunch. I stood up quickly and threw out my trash. Alice and Rosalie had their heads together in conversation and Jasper and Emmet just looked uncomfortable.

When I got to Biology, I wasn't surprised that Bella wasn't there. I had hoped she was with a teacher or something during lunch, but I knew better than that. But that still didn't answer the question of where she was. She didn't look sick last night, but she did look…off. I couldn't put my finger on it but when I remembered what she looked like last night, it was as if something was wrong.

Mr. Banner started class but I was too far into my thoughts to bother paying attention. Not that I needed to. Mr. Banner has learned not to bother calling on me, I almost know the material better than him. (That's what I get for taking so many AP classes at my old school.) Throughout class I thought about last night, how Bella looked, and trying to figure out what it was that was off. Just before the bell rang, I came up with a conclusion that made my stomach twist with guilt.

Although we didn't pull the prank, (we were going to put Bella up in front of everyone at the party and pour Hawaiian Punch **(my friend came up with that one :P)** all over her. We had a video camera set up, and then my friend was going to put it up on the school news.) I still hurt Bella. I asked her out when I didn't really like her and brought her to a party I know she didn't want to be at. Then I yelled at her and left her. I didn't even know if and how she got home. Did someone else give her a ride? Did she walk? Did she get in trouble?

All these questions were shooting through my head when the bell rang and when I met Emmett and Jasper for PE, I knew they had had a similar revelation. Not in the magnitude that I had, they hadn't abandoned her at a party, but still realizing that what we were going to do was cruel.

We happened to have PE with both Alice and Rosalie, and Bella would have been in this class with us, too, had she been here.

"So Edward, did you just take Bella home last night? You said she didn't really want to come to the party." Alice asked me as soon as I was within conversation distance. She seemed honestly curious, but I couldn't answer her. She would be angry with me if I told her I didn't know what happened to Bella last night, and I knew I couldn't get away with lying to her. So I just stayed silent. Wrong move.

"Edward? Did you take her home?" Rose asked me, for she had joined Alice. They were prying hard, for reasons I couldn't understand. On all my previous dates, they didn't even want to hear who the girl was, let alone about the date. I clenched my jaw and started toward the boys changing rooms.

"You didn't?!" Both Alice and Rosalie screamed at me, and glancing at their faces, I found out just how furious they really were. I practically ran into the locker room, and changed as slow as I could. I didn't want to face them. When I came out, they avoided me the whole class period. Jasper and Emmett were practically stuck to them and I could see the 4 of them talking, and then Alice and Rosalie yelling a bit. Needless to say I stayed clear of them. After class, as I started walking toward my car, I was ambushed.

"WHAT IN HUGH LAURIE'S NAME IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" **(haha :D) **My eardrums were practically shattered at how loud Alice and Rosalie yelled together. I saw a lot of students turn to stare, and some of them snickered. I didn't know how to answer, and it took the stinging in my cheek for me to realize that Rosalie had just slapped me.

"Since you couldn't pull your little prank, you had to go and be a jack-hole?!" Alice was screaming at me at the top of her lungs. Now kinds were really staring. I was getting really embarrassed, and believe it or not, I was afraid. Alice is scary, and Rosalie is scary, put them together and I was downright terrified. I looked over at Jasper and Emmett and they had guilty expressions. They told. Rose grabbed the car keys out of my frozen fingers and got into the drivers seat. Alice got in the other side and they left the tree of us standing, dumbstruck and ashamed.

I looked up at Emmett, and then to Jasper and saw my expression mirrored in their faces: we were ashamed, and we were sorry. After standing there stupidly for a few seconds, Jasper finally got up the pluck to speak.

"They're going over to Bella's. They want to apologize to her, and-" He hesitated, and Emmett shuffled uncomfortably, his big shoulders hunched over with remorse. Jasper continued. "Alice said, and I quote… "Tell her what a bunch of turds we are and hope she can forgive us." He looked down, and I nodded.

"Well, then I guess we're walking home." I sighed. "Let's not go to my house, it'll be bad for our health until they calm down." I said, and they agreed fervently. So we started walking in the direction of Jasper's house. Most of the students had cleared by now, so we were left walking out of an empty parking lot.

**There we go, hope you enjoyed it! I'm in total writing mode right now, so if you're lucky and you review, you might even see a new chapter today. C: So... review, review, review!!! :D **

**(keep in mind that I am not a perfect writer, so if you see any mistakes or anything that doesn't make sense, let me know and I'll try to fix it)**


	8. Locked Away BPOV

**Okay, new chapter! Not my favorite by any stretch of the imagination, but it's okay as a bridge to the next one. Enjoy**

I walked slowly up the brick driveway, my eyes fixed on the light in the front window. It was well after midnight and there were no other lights on in the neighborhood. My stomach was doing flips like it was bouncing on a trampoline. My hands were shaking and my teeth were chattering, though I was sure it wasn't from the cold.

All the injuries I had sustained from Charlie were telling me to run, to go anywhere but here. My body was screaming at me to get away, trying to tell me that it couldn't take any more of this. That's when it hit me that it was probably right. O didn't know how much more I could take, but I was certain it was less than I would receive when I walked through that door. That realization came over me like a calming fog. It's going to happen. There's no where I could go, no one I could tell. It was inescapable, so I accepted it. That fog allowed me to lock away and feeling of fear I had, or any that could make this any worse.

As I reached for the door handle, I dredged up every memory I had that ever hurt. When my mother died, everything kids at school had ever said to me, every time my father beat me, and lastly, what Edward had done to me only hours ago. I let those memories flood my mind and I felt the anger boil my blood.

With my fear locked away and my anger taking over, my hand closed around the handle and I opened it. I stepped into the frigid house and I saw what would have made me tremble in my boots only minutes before. But I didn't have time for that. Charlie was standing at the end of the hallway staring at me. He had an empty beer bottle in one hand and my note clutched in the other. I forced myself to stand straight and I just waited. I saw him take a step toward me, his expression murderous. As soon as he was almost to me, I used his drunkenness to my advantage. I shoved him out of the way and ran to the kitchen with him hot on my feet. I grabbed the first thing I could- a metal spatula.

_Oh that will help me a lot!_ My mind shot at me sarcastically. But it was the best I had at the moment. I was not going down without a fight. And that's what happened. The fight only lasted a few minutes- a very painful few minutes. I knew I didn't stand a chance against him, but finally I managed to hit him on the side of the head with the spatula, and combined with how drunk he was, he fell to the ground, passed out. Or so I thought. When I tried to step over him, he grabbed my foot and I fell and hit my head on the counter top. I felt hot liquid start to drip down my forehead and everything started going fuzzy. I vaguely saw him get up and stagger to the stairs. I think he managed to get upstairs, but I couldn't be sure. The world had gone black, and I was sure I was dead.

**Okay, I know this was really short, but the next chapter will be really good :D And for your information, Bella is not dead. I didn't want to go into too much detail because one, I don't like reading about gory stuff and all that. As I said before, not my favorite chapter, but I needed filler. This scene will have more explanation later, I promise.**


	9. 911 Call EPOV

**Okay, new chapter! Second one today, aren't you happy? Lol :D I am really happy with this chapter. I nearly cried writing it, but it turned out really good. Enjoy! **

EPOV

"I am so gonna win!" Emmett jeered at Jasper. They were playing Jak X: Combat Racing and they got pretty competitive at times. We had to take turns because Jasper only had 2 controllers, so I was sitting on the couch watching. We had a big bowl of popcorn on the floor, the contents of which were just about everywhere _but_ in the bowl. Video games were something that we always played, but they were essential today to help keep our minds off what happened earlier- we still hadn't heard from Alice and Rosalie and that concerned all of us. We didn't know what they might be plotting and that alone was enough to scare Chuck Norris out of his boots. **(I originally had it as Arnold Schwarzenegger but I'm sorry, Chuck Norris just pwns :D) **What better to keep your mind occupied then playing a racing game with no rules where you can blow each other up?

"You wish!" Jasper retaliated, launching a missile from his car, blowing up Emmett's in the process.

"Aw man!" Emmett threw down his controller and picked up the almost empty bowl of popcorn. "You'll pay for that!" He grabbed a hand full of popcorn and chucked it at Jasper.

"Oh, it's on!" Jasper was up and grabbing anything within reach, which happened to be guacamole. He was about to throw it when his cell phone rang. We all froze and the only sound was that of his ringer penetrating the silence- Alice was calling.

"You answer it." Emmett prodded Jasper in the back, pushing him toward the phone. I was half off the couch, not having moved since the phone started ringing. Jasper's expression was terrified.

"Why do I have to?" He asked, indignant.

"It's your phone!" Emmett and I half shouted at him, simultaneously. Under normal circumstances one of use would have yelled jinx and fought over who had to buy soda, but this was different. It was a life and death situation, our lives depended on what Alice had to say.

Jasper picked up the phone hesitantly and hit the talk button. "Hello?" He asked tentatively. We could hear Alice yelling through the phone, but not because she was angry. I couldn't make out what she was saying, and neither could Emmett, but she was panicked about something. I saw all the color drain from Jasper's face and his hand started to shake. Emmett and I glanced at each other, worried looks in either of our eyes. Jasper finally spoke into the receiver.

"Did you call an ambulance?...Oh good…what about the police? Yeah I understand...Have you left yet?...Okay, then they should be there any minute. Where do you want us to meet you?...Okay, we're leaving now." He signaled to us that we needed to go, and we started putting on our shoes, fast. After a few more words Jasper hung up the phone and nearly sprinted out the door to the garage.

"What's going on?!" I practically yelled at him as we all piled into his black Toyota Highlander.

"Where are we going?" Emmett asked Jasper from the front seat. I was in the back and just as confused as he was.

"We're meeting Alice and Rosalie at the hospital." Jasper said quickly, his eyes focused on the road. I felt the confusion and panic start to build up. What had happened? Were Alice and Rose okay? Why were we going to the hospital?

"The hospital?!" The panic seeped through my voice. "Why are we going to the hospital? And what's with the police? Jasper what's going on?!" Emmett was frozen in the front seat. He was tough on the outside, but he was a big softie on the inside, and we could tell that he was scared as to what was happening.

"Alice and Rosalie are fine." Jasper told us and Emmett let out a sigh of relief, but Jasper wasn't done. "It's Bella." I felt my breath catch.

"B-bella…?" I questioned him hesitantly, afraid of what I would hear.

"I didn't get the full details of everything, but they told me she was unconscious in the kitchen when they got there, badly hurt." Jasper related quickly.

"How badly?" I asked, practically whispered, I was so panicked.

"I don't know. She just said they had to get her to the hospital immediately." We had just turned into the hospital parking lot and I saw my Volvo parked on the other side of the lot. They hadn't even gone home. Jasper parked and we shot out of the car. When we got inside, we saw Alice and Rosalie waiting for us. They were crying.

Oh God. It must be bad.

Alice launched herself at Jasper and started crying into his shoulder and Rose just stood with her arms around Emmett, her eyes wide as saucers. Alice was past talking now; she was in hysterics. So I turned to Rosalie.

"What happened?" I asked her carefully. She flinched at the memory, and held tighter to Emmett.

"Well, Alice and I had gone over to see Bella, you know to apologize. Their car was in the driveway and lights were on so we knew they were home, but nobody came to the door. I looked through the window next to the door and the place looked as if there had been a huge fight there. We tried the door and found that it was unlocked. When we got into the kitchen…" She trailed off, fresh tears coming from her eyes. I was stuck in a trance. As she spoke I could imagine it, and it terrified me.

"Bella…she…she was on the floor…covered in blood…" She managed to get out between sobs. "We called 911 and told them what happened. The cops came with an ambulance and rushed her here…"

"Oh god…" I collapsed in the nearest chair and put my face in my hands. "Did you call her dad?" I asked, glancing up at her. Her expression was horrified and she looked as if she would pass out.

"The police…they found him upstairs, passed out drunk…with blood all over his hands…" She managed to get out, and I had to struggle to hear her, she was so quiet. I heard Alice let out another sob and Jasper led her over to a bench against the wall. Any color that was left in my face drained within seconds. I couldn't believe it…

"They took her in for emergency surgery…your dad is doing it. She was barely alive when we got there. She had lost so much blood…" She told me. I nodded solemnly and put my face back in my hands, waiting. I felt my eyes start to water and before I knew it I had tears coming down my face. Bella, a girl I barely knew, a girl I had hurt, was an the verge of death, and there was nothing I could do about it. I felt an overpowering wave of agony come over me and I couldn't understand it. I felt guilty, and sick and like I might vomit. In face that's what happened. I ran to the men's room and puked into the closest toilet. I went to the sink to clean my face and saw how bad I looked. My eyes were red and I was pale. My expression was torn between guilt and fear. I splashed some water on my face and went back outside. I sat next to Emmett and Rosalie and waited. After about an our of torturous waiting, my dad came into the waiting room. We all jumped up and ran over to him. He looked tired.

"Well…?" I asked, dying for any news.

"She'll live." He stated. "She was so close to death it's a miracle we were able to save here. The only recent injury was a deep gash to her head, and a small crack in her skull. She lost a lot of blood there, but she had a lot of poorly healed cuts that re-opened, letting out the majority of the blood. We gave her transfusions and stabilized her, but she had three broken ribs, a broken femur, and her wrist is broken in 2 places. Her shoulder was also dislocated along with quite a few other sprains and innumerable bruises. We managed to keep her out of a coma, but she'll be out until at least the morning. We've got her on powerful pain killers and she's out cold right now." He glanced at the clock and it was then that I realized how late it was. It was past eleven o' clock PM and it was dark outside.

"Can we see her?" Alice asked quietly.

"Of course, come with me." We followed him through the hospital, anticipation and fear in every step. My thoughts were a jumbled mess and my emotions were in so much chaos that I couldn't even imagine what my face looked like. When we got to her room, I almost passed out. She was so bandaged up that I barely recognized her. I was oblivious to anyone else because all my attention was set on her. I stomach dropped when I saw her. It made sense now. Why she looked so off last night. She wasn't sick, she was in pain, and so badly hurt… I can't believe I didn't see it. It was so obvious looking back. I sat in the chair next to her bed and just stared at her.

"Dad?" I looked up at Carlisle, who was standing next to me.

"Yeah, son?" He looked down at me.

"Can I stay here? I…I just can't leave her…" I looked back at her, tears in my eyes.

"Of course son, I'm on call all night, so let me know if you need anything. Alice is staying, too." I looked up and realized that she and I were the only ones in the room except for Carlisle, who had just left. She pulled up a chair next to me and took my hand. We sat there all night, neither of us able to sleep, just thinking, and watching Bella. Occasionally one of us would say something, but for the most part we were silent. Emmett, Jasper and Rosalie had to go home, they couldn't take being here. But I couldn't leave. I was like an accident on the highway, you want to look away, but you can't, no matter how hard you try. And that's how it was, for the rest of the night…

**Tada! A longer chapter!!! :D I think it's the longest one yet. The next one will probably be in EPOV again, because Bella is unconscious this whole time, so I'll do another few hours in EPOV and then I'll do BPOV. I hope you like this chapter and please review! Tell me what you think :D**


	10. PLEASE READ!

Okay, I'm writing this on the notepad tool on my computer because I updated it (about a month ago) and still havn't put Office on it. (I know it's pathetic but that just goes to show how busy I am right now). But I really wanted to let you all know that I am not ignoring this story, I'm working on it, just not exactly on my computer right now. I have some time off of things over Thanksgiving, so I'll probably be able to post a chapter then. Maybe a few. I am so incredibly sorry for taking so long, I have been dying to update. Thank you to all my readers who review, I can't tell you how much I appreciate it. Expect a (or a few) new chapters within the week and I look forward to reading your reviews for the coming chapters.  
Again my apologies and thanks. 


	11. Awakening BPOV

**It's here!!!!!!! New chapter! I am so happy with this chapter and I hope you enjoy it. Sorry for the wait, but I tried to make it longer for you.**

I was aware of something; though what it was, I wasn't sure. I didn't know what I expected from death, but this wasn't it. I guess maybe I expected to feel comfortable and happy, or maybe pain. But this...I felt, but I didn't feel. I was aware that I existed, but I didn't really feel.

But feeling was coming back, and I didn't know what it felt like. It came back slowly. I became aware of more. Maybe I was getting closer to heaven or hell or wherever it was that I was going. I also realized my thoughts were getting clearer. I became aware of a beeping noise near my head. Was it near my head? Or was I just imagining that? More feelings started coming to me. I felt heavy. Not in pain, but rather that my body felt like it weighed a thousand pounds. I couldn't move, but I could feel my body. My arms felt heavy at my side and I felt pressure at multiple points of my body.

My sense of smell came next. I smelled latex, rust, and salt. I wasn't sure but I thought I smelled roses and another scent that I couldn't identify. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever smelled and I felt like I knew it from somewhere. Maybe that was heaven; that irresistible scent. Next I became aware of dryness in my mouth. Like I hadn't had anything to drink in weeks. That didn't make sense; wasn't I in heaven? My eyes seemed to start functioning, too. Light was starting to leek through my lids. This surprised me. It hadn't been dark or black or anything; it had just been nothing. Like I wasn't even aware that I could see anything. Like I had never even known what vision was.

I noticed the weight seemed to be easing. My body still felt heavy, but I almost felt like I could move. I tried to move my arm but was unsuccessful. It felt like I was trying to lift a 1 ton anvil with my pinky finger. I tried something a little simpler. I tried to move my eye lids and found that I could. I twitched them successfully, how about my voice? Did I have a voice?

The question of where I was still bothered me, but I was starting to think it wasn't heaven. I didn't think it was hell, though; hell should be more painful and all that. Maybe I was stuck in some kind of purgatory; in between Heaven and Hell. I tried my vocal cords and heard a quiet groan emulate from them. I heard voices talking together to each other after that, though I couldn't quite make out what they were saying, and I began to wonder if there were other people in purgatory with me. I tried my eye lids again, and after some effort, I managed to pull them back. I was blinded by a rectangular panel of light staring me in the face. Then I realized that the panel of light was actually one of many in the ceiling of the room I was in. I looked around the room and was shocked by what I found.

I was in a hospital.

And there were people with me. I felt the weight fade away even more. Opening my eyes had seemed to dispel some of it. After the shock of the lights had faded, I noticed that there were three people in the room with me. After a moment of befuddled thought, I recognized two of them. Alice Cullen (what was she doing here?) and...no way. I really must be dead if Edward Cullen is sitting in a hospital room with me; let alone staring at me worried. Last I checked he hated me, or something along those lines. Alice had her eyes trained on me, an excitement building behind a face filled with concern and fear.

The third person I didn't recognize, though I thought it might be God. He had very fair skin and light blonde hair. He was dressed in light colors and a white lab coat. He was very good looking; better looking than most models I had ever seen. His piercing blue eyes were gentle and full of concern, and after a few moments I realized that he was a doctor.

"Isabella?" He asked me and I groaned internally. I didn't have the strength or the will to bother correcting him. "How do you feel?"

Though I was still groggy, my mind was awake now and fully functional. Thoughts started occurring to me that I didn't want to think about because I knew I would probably go into a panic attack.

"I don't." I croaked out, my voice sounding like I hadn't used it in around a decade. He chuckled at my response.

"That's a good thing. That means the pain killers are working." He scribbled something on his clipboard and glanced up at the machine connected to me. After a few moments of staring at the screen, he looked back at me, his eyes intent but cautious. "Do you remember what happened?"

I'm sure all the color drained from my face because I felt my insides go cold. I nodded slowly and I heard the beeping speed up in time with my increasing heart rate.

He sighed. "Your father?" He asked even more cautiously than before. I merely nodded again, completely at a loss of what to say. I realized that Alice and Edward were still in the room and when I glanced at them, they both had identical looks of horror and disgust on their faces. I flinched away from them, and had I not been so cold right now, I probably would have blushed.

The thought of my father brought back a fear that I thought I had eliminated for good, but it seemed only temporarily detained. It came back full force and I felt myself start to hyperventilate. Aside from the pain of breathing too fast, I felt sharp pains in my chest and I gasped out loud, not caring who was there. The blonde haired doctor was at my side in an instant and calling for a nurse to come give me another dose of morphine.

She was feeding a syringe into the tube connected to me in a matter of moments and I could feel my consciousness slipping away. The last thing I saw before I went under were a pair of panicked green eyes staring into mine. Then I was out.

When I awoke the second time, it was darker. I opened my eyes to see a full moon outside the hospital room window, and I reading light on in the corner. There was a figure sitting in the worn, generically patterned blue recliner, and after looking closer I realized it was Edward. He must have heard my intake of breath because he looked up from the book he was reading to look at me.

Surprising even myself, I held his gaze, fear and caution in my eyes; curiosity in his, along with another emotion that I couldn't identify; I had never seen it before. We stared at each other for an immeasurable moment, and then he closed his book and stood up. I let out the breath I hadn't realized I was holding and felt a soreness emanate from my rib cage, but it was nothing like what I felt earlier.

Edward came and sat in the folding chair next to my bed and whispered words I never thought I would hear from anyone, let alone him.

"I'm sorry Bella." He told me, pain in his perfect emerald eyes. "I'm so sorry for what I did to you, and not seeing…" He trailed off in anguish and dropped his head into his hands. I was too stunned from his words to speak, so we sat in silence for a few moments. Finally he looked up at me, a hard determination in his eyes.

"How come you never told anyone? Carlisle said it had to have been happening for years. Why did you not say anything?" He demanded from me and I recoiled slightly from the harsh edge in his tone. But at the same time he sounded fiercely protective and that shocked me more than the harsh questions. It took me a moment to answer, and when I did it was little more than a whisper.

"Who was I going to tell?" I asked him, looking at my hands afraid to look at him. When I did glance at him I saw his face was torn; guilty and frustrated.

"You could have told…" He trailed off, obviously coming to a similar conclusion I had. "…someone. He finished after a moment. "Anyone." He added on. I shook my head slowly.

"No." I forced out. "I couldn't." I amended quietly. I felt the teardrops well in my eyes and I tried to force them back. I didn't need anything more to show the pain that I was in. I jumped violently when his hand touched mine softly. He grasped it gently and I was unnerved by how much it calmed me down.

"Bella…" He started, and seemed to struggle for the right words. "I can't tell you, I can't even begin to describe to you how terrible I feel; about all of this. I feel so sick at what I did the other night (I secretly wondered how long I had been out) and that I didn't see the damage…that nobody saw it. This should never have happened. I was so stupid and naïve and I can't believe how blinded I was."

"Edward." I said as firmly as I could. I don't know why I was saying this, but I was. "Stop it. It's not your fault. It happened; big deal. It happens to people every day and I won't let you beat yourself up for something you had no responsibility for. It was my problem and you had no reason to know, and therefore no reason to feel guilty." My confidence dwindled so dim that I was about to lose whatever I had left of it. It was so hard to say this. Even though I knew it was true, it hurt to say. But Edward didn't need to know that.

His free hand came up to touch my cheek, and I felt my hand go limp in his other palm. His eyes held such a tenderness that I had not seen since my mother died; it was a look she always gave to my father and I when she told us she loved us. I felt the tears start to fall at the memory and I felt my resolve begin to crumble around me.

"Don't say that. Please, don't even try to justify my actions. I can't so why should you?" He asked me softly, his cool breath fanning my face and I realized that was the scent that I was so mesmerized by earlier; him. The last of my barriers crumbled to dust inside me and I lost it. I started crying so hard it was difficult to breathe. I just couldn't hold it in any longer. It was the first time I had allowed myself to really cry in years. Edward moved from the chair to sit next to me on the bed, holding me tightly as I cried. And as embarrassing as it was, I couldn't bring myself to feel embarrassed. I realized I needed him there. I needed someone to hold me and tell me that it would all be okay, even if I knew it wouldn't.

He whispered soothing words in my ear and rocked me back and forth. After a few solid minutes of crying, I felt my tear ducts dry up and I couldn't cry any more, I didn't have anything left in me.

"Bella." Edward murmured to me. I nodded not quite able to find my voice; my face still buried in his shoulder. "I promise I won't let anything happen to you. You will never go back to Charlie and you won't ever have to go through that again. You never deserved it and he won't ever touch you again." I couldn't believe his words but I relaxed into him despite myself. For the moment I was content, and I felt safer than I have ever felt in my life. I sighed and I heard him start humming a song that sounded like a lullaby, and it had the effect of one. I drifted comfortably to sleep in his arms, comforted and protected for the first time in too long.

**What do you think? Review, review, review! I can't wait to hear your thoughts. I hope it lived up to your standards and I will have the next chapter up as soon as I can.**


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